Copying maps onto paper was a common assignment for both girls and boys attending academies in the 19th century, as students practiced geography and penmanship simultaneously. Phebe Nichols produced her map of Palestine while a student at the Windham Phonetic School – a Quaker boarding school in Windham, Maine. As was the practice at Quaker schools, this map was executed in a plain, utilitarian style.

Map accompanied by description: "Map of Palestine drawn by Phoebe Ellen Nichols at the Windham Phonetic School 1853."